Sergeant volunteers with special organization

The passion Staff Sgt. Amanda Buffington has for volunteering with the Phoenix area Special Olympics is visible all over her face when she talks about her experiences. "The first event I did in 2004 was at the state level," said a grinning Sergeant Buffington, base Special Olympics volunteer

Strongest TBolts muscle way through competition

The 56th Services Squadron held a power lifting competition Jan. 23 in the Luke Air Force Base fitness center. Seven Thunderbolts competed for the titles of Luke's strongest male and female. Nikki Herrington, a family member, lifted 1,330 pounds to take the strongest female title and James Knuckles,

Avionics experts keep F-16s in the skies

When an aircraft comes back from a mission with a broken avionics system, a team of specialists remove and replace the suspect part and get the plane in the air again. But, where does the part go to get fixed? That job falls on the 56th Component Maintenance Squadron's Avionics Intermediate Systems

Hike it up

308th GBG graduation

Today, the 308th Fighter Squadron graduates Class 08-GBG, adding eight new F-16 pilots to our Air Force. Their graduation ceremony is a culmination of nine long months of training in the world's greatest fighter. However, it is not only a major milestone for these young aviators on a personal level,

Bird strike Q&A

US Airways Flight 1549 made national news last week when pilots had to land the jetliner in the Hudson River after both engines went out after an apparent bird strike. Here at Luke Air Force Base, precautions are taken to reduce the likelihood of bird strikes and the Thunderbolt had the chance to

Luncheon brings awareness of King’s message

It would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 80th birthday as Luke Air Force Base celebrated the life of the civil rights leader with a luncheon held at the Desert Star Club on Jan. 15. The event, which was led by master of ceremonies Ben Bruce, 56th Fighter Wing ground safety manager, included

Hero of Hudson River crash landing trained at Luke

The pilot who crash-landed a crippled airliner in New York's Hudson River Jan. 15, saving 155 lives on board, is an Air Force Academy graduate who received his pilot training in the Air Force. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger steered U.S. Airways Flight 1549 toward the river when both engines failed

OG crushes 607th 16-6

The 56th Operations Group knocked the 607th Air Control Squadron out of the park 16-6 during an intramural softball game Jan. 14 at the base softball fields. Despite the OG barely having enough players to field a team, they were able to rise to the challenge and overcome the 607th. "With the OG

Slant roofs improve quality of life in dormitories

Four Luke Air Force Base dormitories were recently updated with a $1.3 million project to improve the quality of life for Airmen, reduce electricity usage during summer and prolong the integrity of the roof. The slanted roof additions have been on the "to do" list for more than 10 years and were